Ah, no, :D I use a variety of rehearsal rooms all over the place with different bands. I may not love most of them, but they all work... The Hartke was very disappointing. I think the only worst combo I've tried locally is a Trace Elliot combo, a 210, at the Groove Tunnel... ugh... although I know that one it's just probably just been badly abused.

The pickup looks to be in the right place, from the images I've seen... so it will probably have a Stingray-type kind of sound. It's a different pickup though so that accounts for some of the sound too. The preamp is not that important. A 100% passive Stingray has an unmistakeable Stingray sound. The preamp only allows to to 'access' other Stingray sounds.
If you really want a good Stingray equivalent without the price tag... look for a USA made MusicMan SUB, the ones made between 2003-2006. The range of finishes is limited among other things, but they are true Stingrays in anything but name. Around £400 for an excellent condition used one, and they're not hard to find. I have a white one as well as a 'proper' Stingray, and it's not going anywhere.

The thing is that most basses can do a varied kind of sounds, and so do amps with their EQ controls etc... so I'd argue that almost any bass/amp can be made to sound midrangey and aggressive.
If I had to choose... I'd choose something with a humbucker close to the bridge, and pretty much any amp (the choice of speaker will also play a big role). Many people would argue a Stingray would fit the bill well, or a Sterling... but the fact that they're used to record some decidedly mellow sounds too shows that it's not just the bass but what you do with it. A Precision can sound huge and deep, but can also be an aggressive trebbly clank machine.